Free School Meals
Free School Meals (FSM) are different to Universal Infant Free School Meals, these have an eligibility criteria. We encourage parents/guardians to check to see if they’re entitled to Free School Meals as this helps schools receive extra funding through the Pupil Premium, which supports your child.
These are the eligibility criteria:
Pension Credit –
Recipient of the guarantee (main) element.
Is from an identified family group with No Recourse to Public Funds (NRPF)
The child is from an identified family group with No Recourse to Public Funds (NRPF) and their annual household income is:
Less than £22,700 for families outside London with one child, or
Less than £26,300 for families outside London with two or more children.
Universal Credit -
From September 2026, all children in England from households receiving Universal Credit will qualify for free school meals, regardless of household income.
Child Tax Credit –
Applicants from before Universal Credit rollout; provided you’re not also entitled to Working Tax Credit and have an annual gross income of £16,190 or less.
Asylum Support -
As per Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999.
Working Tax Credit run-on –
Paid for four weeks after you stop qualifying (applicants from before Universal Credit rollout).
Is covered by Transition Protection following the Universal Credit rollout from 1 April 2018
This only applies to those pupils who might have otherwise lost free school meals eligibility following the rollout of Universal Credit, as from 1 April 2018. Transitional Protections would cover pupils until the end of their current school phase and may require providing the school with official Universal Credit statements to support your eligibility claim.
Does your Child have a food allergy?
We can create bespoke special diet menus tailored to your child’s medical needs.
Click here for more information -